Gulfstream G650 gets FAA certification

The official document, called a type certificate, verifies the airworthiness of the aircraft’s design.

The company expects to deliver the first fully outfitted G650 business jets to customers before the end of the year. Gulfstream has received more than 200 orders for the $64.5 million G650, the flagship of its business jet fleet and the fastest civilian aircraft flying.

“The G650 is a superlative aircraft with the most technologically advanced flight deck in business aviation and the largest, most comfortable cabin in its class. In short, the G650 speaks to all that is good about business aviation — safety, security, flexibility, comfort and capability,” said Gulfstream President Larry Flynn.

“We designed the G650 with significant input from our advanced technology customer advisory team, and we’re extremely proud of what our entire organization has accomplished with this aircraft.”

Jay L. Johnson, chairman and CEO of Gulfstream parent General Dynamics, said the G650 sets the new world standard for business-jet performance, range, speed and comfort.

“The Gulfstream team has done an outstanding job in designing and manufacturing

what is already the envy of the global market and is sure to become a milestone aircraft in aviation history,” he said.

Advanced systems

The G650 offers a full three-axis, fly-by-wire system that uses electric wiring instead of mechanical or hydraulic linkages to control flaps and other maneuverable surfaces on the aircraft. Fly-by-wire offers flight-envelope protection, passenger comfort and reduced maintenance.

The redundant system is the result of extensive testing and Gulfstream says it exceeds certification requirements. A separate and dedicated backup flight-control computer provides an additional level of safety.

To ensure optimum system performance, the G650 uses an aircraft health and trend monitoring system called PlaneConnectHTMTM. This system provides near-real-time aircraft condition monitoring by recording up to 10,000 predefined parameters and transmitting information to the operator’s maintenance department. Gulfstream can, if necessary, request additional data from the plane without any crew interaction.

All of the data can be analyzed to identify systems’ condition status, which allows for exceptionally fast maintenance turnaround times and the ability to predict fleet maintenance trends.

The G650 cockpit is equipped with what the company says is the most advanced flight deck in general aviation, PlaneView II, which includes four 14-inch, adaptive, liquid crystal displays that provide a wealth of flight information at a glance and state-of-the art vision systems.

“Working together with our supplier partners, we’ve been able to provide a level of safety and situational awareness heretofore unseen in business aviation,” said Pres Henne, Gulfstream senior vice president for programs, engineering and test.

Gulfstream says the G650’s cabin environment is the result of a cabin altitude range of between 3,300 and 4,850 feet, which reduces fatigue, increases mental alertness and enhances productivity.

An advanced cabin management system allows for digital control of the cabin systems, including high-definition audio and video components. Intuitive controls are provided for lighting, temperature, entertainment equipment, attendant call and other cabin functions, while redundancy in cabin systems minimizes the risk of losing cabin functionality.

Gulfstream announced the G650 on March 13, 2008, five years after it began designing the business jet. The announcement, witnessed by more than 7,000 employees, customers and suppliers, took place in the new G650 manufacturing building at Gulfstream’s headquarters in Savannah.

The G650 rolled out under its own power on Sept. 30, 2009, and flew for the first time nearly two months later on Nov. 25, 2009.

Over the next 35 months, seven aircraft were involved in the flight-test program, accumulating about 3,889 hours over 1,181 flights.

The G650 demonstrated its exceptional high-speed, fuel-efficient cruising capabilities on May 2, 2010, when it flew at its maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925 — or 704 miles per hour — for the first time. It achieved high-speed cruise on October 2010, when a test aircraft flew a 5,000-nautical-mile closed circuit at Mach 0.90 over the Atlantic Ocean in 9 hours and 45 minutes.

“Receiving this type certificate is a testament to the hard work, dedication and ingenuity of the Gulfstream team and our many supplier partners,” Henne said Friday.